We're One of the "Best Workplaces in Ohio"

We’re delighted to be honored as one of Ohio Business magazine’s “Best Workplaces in Ohio” for 2016. It’s a select group – out of 921,000 employers throughout the state, less than 50 were recognized for the quality of their work-life environments. More than an award, this distinction validates one of our most important company goals – to be the most desirable place to work for top creative professionals in our region.

Why is that important to us? Because our associates are our entire product. Clients come to Mills James expecting a high level of creativity and innovation from our producers, directors, designers, editors and technicians. Keeping our employees engaged means doing our best to understand their needs. In ‘Mills James 2020,’ a recent initiative to position our company for the next decade, we interviewed each employee and asked why they work here and what they want in their workplace. Their answers formed the basis for our company goals and benefit programs.

This is a hard-charging team that works long hours to meet intense deadlines, so we’re striving to improve our work-life environment. We’ve increased our training effort with new leadership workshops and creative design tracks, formed a Health & Wellness Committee as a way to encourage happier and healthier staff [initiatives include incentives for age and gender-based physicals, wellness coaching, free gym memberships, lunch seminars, a walking club and a resource library, among other benefits.] We’re starting to make substantial improvements to the look and feel of our work environment. We’re finding new ways to be more authentic in recognizing our employees. It’s always a work in progress, but we’re looking in every direction to create an environment that’s warm, respectful, rewarding and engaging.

Mills James people have a long history of community involvement. Each year, we contribute several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of in-kind services to nonprofit organizations. Every Christmas, Mills James employees are out ringing the bells for the Salvation Army. Every summer, employees cycle for Pelotonia to raise funds for the James Cancer Hospital.

Being a 100 percent employee-owned company also makes a big difference in our ability to retain and recruit great associates. When you’re an owner of the company, you never get a sense that you’re “just a cog in a machine” – your efforts help grow the value of your own stake in the company.

We think we’ve got the sharpest, most talented, most dedicated group of employees in the production industry. That also means that members of this elite team can work just about anywhere they want to in this field. But by demonstrating that we genuinely care to provide a positive workplace culture, we’ve developed a loyal following of deeply experienced employees who have been with us 15 to 25 years or more.

Yes, it’s nice to be named to “Best Workplaces in Ohio” – but we also know we have a lot of work to do to keep earning that honor year after year.